The short answer
An AI note taker records your call and writes the notes. The best one depends on what you need after the call.
- Best overall for client work: SayBriefly. No bot, Mac and Windows, calls with the same people grouped into a thread, and every note opening with what changed since last call. Its agent knows the calls, the client's Gmail and the brief.
- Best free: Fathom. Unlimited recordings and transcripts on the free plan.
- Best bot-free notes: Granola. Clean notes, no bot, phone apps too.
- Best for sales: Avoma. Built around deals, with deep CRM support.
- Best for teams: Fellow. Bot or botless, made for internal meetings.
- Best for many languages: Jamie. No bot, 99+ languages.
- Best built in: Zoom AI Companion, Microsoft Teams Copilot or Google Meet with Gemini, if all your calls live on one platform.
We build SayBriefly, so here is our bias up front. It is first on this list because it is the one we would pick for client work. Every other tool below is described only from what its own website says, and we are clear about where each one is the better choice.
All 19 AI note takers at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Bot in the call? | Mac / Windows | Free plan | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SayBriefly | Client work, memory across calls | No bot | Mac + Windows apps | See the app | See the app |
 Granola | Simple bot-free notes | No bot | Mac + Windows | Yes, limited history | $14 per user a month |
 Otter | Searchable transcripts | Bot, or desktop app | Mac + Windows | Yes, 300 min a month | $8.33 per user a month, yearly |
 Fathom | Best free plan | Bot, or bot-free beta | Not stated | Yes, unlimited recordings | $16 a month, yearly |
 Fireflies | Integrations, many languages | Bot, or Chrome extension | Desktop app | Yes | $10 per seat a month, yearly |
 tl;dv | Summaries across many meetings | Says no bot required | Web | Yes, unlimited recordings | €18 per seat a month, yearly |
 Fellow | Internal team meetings | Bot or botless | Mac + Windows | Yes, 5 notes | $7 per user a month, yearly |
 Jamie | Bot-free, 99+ languages | No bot | Mac + Windows | Yes, 10 notes a month | €21 a month, yearly |
 Avoma | Sales teams and deals | Bot, or native recording | Mac + Windows | No, 14-day trial | $19 per seat a month, yearly |
 Read AI | Search across meetings and messages | Not stated | Mac + Windows | Yes, 5 meetings a month | $15 per user a month, yearly |
 Krisp | Noise cancelling plus notes | No bot | Not stated | No, 7-day trial | $8 per user a month, yearly |
 Notta | Live captions and transcripts | Bot, or desktop app | Mac + Windows | Yes, 120 min a month | $8.17 a month, yearly |
 Tactiq | Cheap Google Meet transcripts | No bot | Mac app + Chrome | Yes, 10 transcripts a month | €6.67 per user a month, yearly |
 Bluedot | Notes on every device | Not stated | Mac + Windows | Yes, 5 meetings total | $14 per user a month |
 MeetGeek | Bot or no bot, 100+ languages | Bot or bot-free, your choice | Desktop app | Yes, 3 hours a month | $15.99 per user a month |
 Sembly | Branded reports for clients | Bot | Not stated | No, trial with 1 hour a month | $10 a month, yearly |
 Zoom AI Companion | Teams that live in Zoom | Built into Zoom | Mac + Windows | Yes, 3 summaries a month | $14.16 a month, yearly (Zoom Pro) |
 Microsoft Teams Copilot | Microsoft 365 companies | Built into Teams | Mac + Windows | No | Teams Premium add-on (current price not confirmed) |
 Google Meet with Gemini | Google Workspace teams | Built into Meet | Browser | No | Eligible Google Workspace plan |
Checked on each tool's own website, September 2026. "Not stated" means the site did not say either way. Prices change often.
The real difference: memory
Almost every tool here writes a good note. Most can also chat or search across your old meetings. So the question is not "can it remember?" It is "what does it remember, and does it connect?"
Threads
SayBriefly groups calls with the same people into one thread, by meeting link, calendar series or attendees.
Since last call
Every new note opens with what got done, what is still open, what was asked again and what changed.
Project memory
Each call sits in its client project, next to their Gmail and the brief. Scribbble, the agent, answers across all of it.
That is what turns a pile of notes into a memory of the client. And because SayBriefly knows what was agreed, it can flag a request that goes beyond the brief. Scope creep is the payoff of the memory, not a separate trick.
A note taker remembers the meeting. SayBriefly remembers the project.
The 19 best AI note takers, reviewed
1. SayBriefly: best for client work
SayBriefly records Zoom, Meet, Teams and browser calls from your computer with no bot, and the note is ready about a minute after you hang up, with decisions, action items and owners. Calls with the same people become a thread, every new note starts with Since last call, and each call is linked to its client project next to their emails and the brief.
Good
- Memory across calls, Gmail and the brief
- Scope creep alerts against your locked brief
- Notes, tasks, calendar and dictation in one app
Worth knowing
- No iPhone or Android app yet
- Email works with Gmail for now
Pick SayBriefly if the same clients come back call after call.
See how the notes work on the SayBriefly AI notetaker page.
2. Granola: best for simple bot-free notes
Granola captures audio on your own device, so no bot joins. You write a few rough notes and it fills them in after the call. Business adds unlimited history and CRM links like Attio and HubSpot.
Good
- No bot, clean notes
- Phone apps as well as desktop
Worth knowing
- The free plan keeps limited history
- Calls are not linked to client email or a brief
Pick Granola if you want clean notes and nothing else.
3. Otter: best for searchable transcripts
Otter is the transcript specialist. Its bot joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet once your calendar is connected, and you get a searchable transcript with speakers. It lists six languages and Salesforce and HubSpot on Pro and up.
Good
- Apps everywhere
- Low paid entry price
Worth knowing
- The bot joins by default
- Six languages
Pick Otter if the transcript itself is what you need.
4. Fathom: best free AI note taker
Fathom's free plan records and transcribes without a limit, which is why it tops so many free lists. Ask Fathom answers questions about a call, and paid plans sync fields to HubSpot and Salesforce. A bot-free mode is in beta.
Good
- A very generous free plan
- Strong CRM sync
Worth knowing
- Bot-free recording is still a beta
- Built around sales calls
Pick Fathom if you want the best free recorder.
5. Fireflies: best for integrations
Fireflies sends its notetaker bot into calls, or you can use its Chrome extension. AskFred answers questions across your meetings, and English plus 100+ other languages are listed, the others in beta. Sales and support teams like its long list of connections.
Good
- Many integrations
- Many languages, in beta
Worth knowing
- The bot is the default
- Premium tiers needed for CRM links
Pick Fireflies if a bot is fine and you want it wired into everything.
6. tl;dv: best for summaries across many meetings
tl;dv records Zoom, Meet and Teams and offers multi-meeting summaries, so you can see a theme across a series of calls. It lists 30+ transcription languages and HubSpot. Its site says it has no native phone app yet.
Good
- Free plan with unlimited recordings
- Multi-meeting summaries
Worth knowing
- No native phone app yet
- Prices are in euros
Pick tl;dv if you want patterns across a series of calls.
7. Fellow: best for internal team meetings
Fellow is built for teams that meet each other a lot. You can let a bot join or record botless, and action items get owners. It lists 100+ languages, with HubSpot and Salesforce on Business and up.
Good
- Bot or botless, your choice
- Good for standups and one-to-ones
Worth knowing
- The free plan ends after 5 notes
- Made for internal meetings
Pick Fellow if most of your meetings are with your own team.
8. Jamie: best for many languages with no bot
Jamie runs on your device with no bot and handles 99+ languages. Ask Jamie lets you chat about your meetings on every plan, and CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive come on Pro.
Good
- No bot, 99+ languages
- Chat across meetings on every plan
Worth knowing
- The free plan caps meeting length
- Prices are in euros
Pick Jamie if your calls switch languages.
9. Avoma: best for sales teams
Avoma is a meeting assistant built around deals. Ask Avoma answers across your conversations and deals, it lists 70+ languages, and it connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive and more.
Good
- Deep CRM support
- Answers across deals
Worth knowing
- No free plan
- More than a solo user needs
Pick Avoma if meetings feed a sales pipeline.
10. Read AI: best for search across meetings and messages
Read AI's Ask Read searches across your meetings, emails and messages. Its site says everyone in the meeting knows Read is there. It lists 16+ languages and Salesforce and HubSpot on paid plans.
Good
- Search spans meetings, email and messages
- Apps on every platform
Worth knowing
- How it joins calls is not spelled out on the pricing page
- Small free plan
Pick Read AI if you want one search across meetings and inboxes.
11. Krisp: best if you also want noise cancelling
Krisp started as noise cancelling and now includes an unlimited AI note taker with no bot, for online and in-person meetings. It lists 16+ languages and HubSpot and Pipedrive on Core.
Good
- No bot
- Cleaner audio on your side of the call
Worth knowing
- No free plan, only a trial
- Notes are one part of a bigger audio tool
Pick Krisp if background noise is your first problem.
12. Notta: best for live captions
Notta transcribes in real time with live captions, and can transcribe and translate two languages. You can send a bot or record from the desktop app.
Good
- Real-time transcripts
- Low paid price
Worth knowing
- The free plan caps each recording at 3 minutes
- CRMs only on Business
Pick Notta if you want captions while the call is running.
13. Tactiq: best for cheap transcripts in the browser
Tactiq captures the transcript from your browser with no bot and adds one-click AI actions for summaries, action items and follow-up emails.
Good
- No bot, very light
- Lowest paid price in this list
Worth knowing
- Few platforms
- AI actions run on credits
Pick Tactiq if you want a transcript and little else.
14. Bluedot: best for notes on every device
Bluedot covers more devices than almost anyone here, down to the Apple Watch. It connects to Slack, Notion, Zapier and Make. Its pricing page does not say how it joins calls.
Good
- Apps on nearly every device
- Simple integrations
Worth knowing
- The free plan is 5 meetings in total
- Recording method not stated on the pricing page
Pick Bluedot if you want notes on every screen you own.
15. MeetGeek: best for choosing bot or no bot
MeetGeek lets you pick a bot or bot-free recording per meeting. It lists 100+ transcription languages, action item detection, and AI chat and search across all meetings.
Good
- Bot or no bot, your choice
- Chat and search across all meetings
Worth knowing
- Free transcripts are kept for 3 months
- Yearly price not listed as a number
Pick MeetGeek if you want the choice of bot per meeting.
16. Sembly: best for branded client reports
Sembly turns meetings into branded reports and decks for clients, on every paid plan. It lists 45+ languages and handles meetings that mix languages.
Good
- Deliverables with your branding
- Mixed-language meetings
Worth knowing
- No real free plan
- Uses a bot
Pick Sembly if you send clients polished recaps.
17. Zoom AI Companion: best if everyone is on Zoom
Zoom's own AI writes meeting summaries inside Zoom, unlimited on Pro and up. Its product page also mentions notes on other meeting platforms and a paid agent tier. It lists 16+ languages.
Good
- Nothing extra to install on Zoom
- Summaries included on paid Zoom plans
Worth knowing
- Best inside Zoom
- The free plan gives 3 summaries a month
Pick Zoom's AI if your calls already live in Zoom.
18. Microsoft Teams Copilot: best for Microsoft 365 companies
Teams writes intelligent recaps with meeting notes, suggested tasks, chapters and markers for when you were mentioned. It comes with Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft's live pricing page did not load for us, so check the current price.
Good
- Deep inside Teams and Microsoft 365
- Speaker timelines and chapters
Worth knowing
- Paid add-on only
- Only for Teams meetings
Pick it if your company already runs on Microsoft 365.
19. Google Meet with Gemini: best for Google Workspace teams
Take notes for me writes the notes into a Google Doc, as quick notes or full notes with decisions and action items. Google lists 8 languages and one language per meeting.
Good
- Notes land in Google Docs
- Turn it on from Google Calendar
Worth knowing
- Needs an eligible paid plan
- One language per meeting
Pick it if your team lives in Google Workspace.
Going deeper on the big names? Read Fireflies vs Otter vs Fathom, or the alternatives guides for Granola, Otter, Fathom and Fireflies.
How to choose an AI note taker
| Your situation | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer or studio with clients | SayBriefly | Threads, Since last call, Gmail and the brief in one memory |
| You want it free | Fathom | Unlimited recordings on the free plan |
| No bot, just notes | Granola | Clean bot-free notes, phone apps too |
| Calls in many languages | Jamie | No bot, 99+ languages |
| Sales team with a CRM | Avoma or Fathom | Deal focus and CRM sync |
| Internal team meetings | Fellow | Bot or botless, action items with owners |
| Need the exact words | Otter | Searchable transcripts |
| Everyone is on one platform | Zoom, Teams or Meet's own AI | Nothing extra to install |
Want the wider picture of what a meeting assistant does before and after the call? See AI meeting assistant. Only on Zoom? See Zoom AI notetaker.
Recording consent
A bot at least announces itself. A bot-free note taker does not, so telling people is up to you. This is not theory. In August 2025, Brewer v. Otter.ai was filed in California, claiming Otter recorded people without consent and trained its AI on those recordings. Granola, a bot-free note taker, also faces a recording-consent class action. Both were unresolved in 2026 according to public reporting.
Whatever tool you pick, say you are taking notes at the start of the call, or put it in your contract. Some places need everyone's consent.
How we made this list
We checked every tool's own homepage and pricing page in September 2026 and wrote down only what they state: bot or bot-free, platforms, free plan, cheapest paid price and one standout feature. Where a site did not say, we wrote "Not stated" instead of guessing. Prices are the cheapest paid plan, usually billed yearly, and change often. SayBriefly is our product.
Questions people ask about AI note takers
What is the best AI note taker in 2026?
It depends on the job. SayBriefly is our pick for client work, because it links each call to the project and opens every note with what changed since last time. Fathom is the best free option, Otter the transcript specialist, Fireflies the most connected, and Jamie the best bot-free choice for many languages.
What is an AI note taker?
An AI note taker records or listens to a call, writes a transcript, and turns it into a summary with decisions and action items. Some send a bot into the meeting, others record from your computer or browser.
What is the best free AI note taker?
Fathom has the strongest free plan on its site, with unlimited recordings and transcriptions. tl;dv also lists unlimited recordings on its free plan. Otter gives 300 minutes a month, and Notta 120.
Which AI note takers work without a bot?
SayBriefly, Granola, Jamie, Krisp and Tactiq say they record without a bot. Fellow, Avoma, Notta and Otter's desktop app offer a no-bot option next to their bot, and Fathom's bot-free mode is in beta.
Which AI note taker is best for Zoom?
Zoom's own AI Companion is the simplest if everyone is on Zoom. If your calls move between Zoom, Teams and Meet, a desktop tool like SayBriefly, Granola or Jamie covers all of them with no bot. See our Zoom AI notetaker page for more.
Which AI note takers remember past meetings?
Most of the good ones can search or chat across your meetings, including Otter, Fathom, Fireflies, Granola, Jamie and Avoma. Read AI also searches email and messages. SayBriefly groups calls with the same people into a thread and writes each new note against the earlier ones, next to the client's Gmail and the project brief.
Which AI note taker supports the most languages?
On their own sites, Fellow and Fireflies list 100+ languages (Fireflies' are in beta), Jamie lists 99+, and Avoma 70+. Otter lists six.
Which AI note taker is best for sales calls?
Avoma and Fathom are built around deals and CRM sync, with Salesforce and HubSpot support. Fireflies is also popular with sales teams.
Is SayBriefly on Windows?
Yes. SayBriefly has apps for Mac and Windows, plus a browser extension. There is no iPhone or Android app yet.
Is it legal to use an AI note taker?
It depends on where you and the other people are. Some places need everyone's consent to record. Always tell people you are recording, especially with a bot-free tool, since nothing announces itself.
Can an AI note taker catch scope creep?
SayBriefly can. Once you lock a project brief, it checks client calls and email against it and flags requests that go beyond it, with the client's words and the brief line. We did not find this on the other tools' sites.
What is the difference between an AI note taker and an AI meeting assistant?
People use both names for the same tools. A meeting assistant usually does a bit more around the call, like prep before it and follow-up after it. Our AI meeting assistant page covers that.
